Jelani Woods, TE IND
Many fantasy owners don’t understand how exciting a player like Woods can be. He was a wide receiver converted to tight end his senior year. He wasn’t a skinny guy either; Woods is a 6’7″, 267 lbs player. In his one season, he produced 598 yards and eight touchdowns. Now with the Colts, he has an opportunity to see significant playing time as a rookie. Current starter Mo Alie Cox hasn’t lived up to his massive build frame at the NFL level. He hasn’t been able to beat out old man Jack Doyle for years and has not exceeded over 400 yards. At the same time, Cox is already turning 29 during the NFL season, so his time is ending.
Another youngster, Kylen Gransen, is an exciting player. He profiles more as an HB or a hybrid TE similar to Jonnu Smith. He couldn’t make much noise as a rookie, but he also has potential in the offense. Woods offers a big target in the red zone. Matt Ryan needs a big-bodied player in those situations, and Woods offers that talent. He may cost more than some of these deep sleepers but could be worth the price.
Kyle Phillips, WR TEN
Philips is a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft. Watching his tape reminds me of Hunter Renfrow, as they are similarly built and combine stats coming into the NFL. Like Renfrow had done, he is likely to start as a return man. Philips is quick on his footwork and knows how to beat a defender at the point of attack. The Titans don’t have too many reliable receivers on the offense. Bob Woods is coming off a significant injury, Treylon Burks seems to be taking his time adjusting to the NFL, and Nick Westbrooke Ihrine, I believe, is just a guy. If Philips can secure the slot role, he’ll likely significantly increase in playing time. Ryan Tannehill has always worked well with a slot receiver, so Philips could have a chance to succeed.
Brevin Jordan, TE HOU
Jordan may be more of a sleeper than a deep sleeper play well, depending on how much you know about fantasy football. Jordan was my third-rated TE coming into the 2021 NFL Draft. He was raw and was a more athletic-style TE. As a rookie, he showed flashes with three TE1 games from week eight forward. He has four games over 20 yards receiving and produced three touchdowns. Jordan can excel in the passing game and separate from defenders very easily. Most of his production came with Davis Mills, so the growth in both players should lead to an interesting upcoming season. The unfortunate news with John Metchie should open up more targets for Jordan to get in the middle of the field. He would cost the most than any other player in this series, but he has terrific upside, whether this season or next year, with a potential top-tier rookie QB in future drafts.
Zay Jones, WR JAX
Jones isn’t a young spurt compared to many of the players in this series. He is a six-year receiver who is now on his third team. Jones spent two years with Buffalo and had a decent sophomore year with 600 yards and seven touchdowns. He was traded mid-way in year three to the Raiders, where he took time to get his shot again. He produced due to injuries and jail time for many Raiders’ receivers in 2021. Jones had 540 yards but only just one touchdown. That season led to the Jaguars giving Jones a three-year $24 million contract. Jones has an opportunity without a true WR1 in the offense. Yes, Christian Kirk was paid to be that guy, but his talent hasn’t shown to that level of domination, so that leaves targets open. Marvin Jones is past his prime, and Laviska Shenault seems like a bust at this point. The TE situation has potential, but no one has yet earned a significant target share. Jones is a good buy low-depth piece.
Get the Dynasty Nerds app in the Apple and Google Play stores. Mock drafts for Superflex, 1QB, and Standard. If you are a DynastyGM subscriber, it even syncs with your actual teams so that you can do rookie mock drafts with ALL of your actual picks, also on desktop.
